This Week's Haul: Supergirl for Everyone!

So I've already told you how awesome The War at Ellsmere, which came out this week, is. But there were also a lot of other awesome comics! Probably some bad ones too, but I fortunately didn't read any of those!

Batman #682

I think that all the confusing mess that was Batman: R.I.P. was worth it if it got us to this issue. It is absolutely bananas, but really, really enjoyable. It reminded me of All-Star Superman, the way that it embraced and celebrated Batman's zany silver age past. Grant Morrison...you are alright with me!

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade #1

I definitely had high hopes for this one, and I wasn't let down. It's fun and silly and it pays no attention to proper canon or continuity. In other words, it's perfect for kids. And, much like Tiny Titans, it is fun for adult nerds as well.

Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #3

Everyone should seriously be reading this series. I am going to keep saying that every week until it is over. This is the Superman/Supergirl interaction I have been waiting for.

Jonah Hex #38

And everyone should seriously be reading this series. I can't say enough good things about Jonah Hex, even though I don't talk about this comic nearly enough on this blog. It's completely and totally awesome. I know it is perpetually in danger of being canceled, and it would be tragic if it happens. Comic fans keep asking for one-shots and this is a whole series made up of them. Plus it has great writing and all-star artists.
 

The Amazing Spider-Man #579

I don't want to say the word 'perfect' here, but these last two issues of Spider-Man, by Mark Waid and Marcos Martin, have been pretty damn close. They have everything you could possibly want in a Spider-Man comic. Not only is Spider-Man witty and likable throughout, he is also incredibly heroic. I was almost teary-eyed. HE JUST GIVES SO MUCH OF HIMSELF!

JSA #21

Man, that Gog guy wasn't as cool as he seemed. Colour me surprised. I was sure everything would work out fine for those tortured souls who populate the Justice Society.

Hey! Y'know what else came out this week?! Showcase Presents: Supergirl v.2!!!

Ohhhh yessssss.

Not convinced? How about a 2-part story where Comet the Superhorse turns into a human temporarily and starts dating Supergirl?

Oh it gets worse...

That's why I don't date horses. They lie.

Toon Books!

Art Spiegelman has been making the media rounds lately, promoting his line of comics for young readers. Toon Books are beautiful hardcover books aimed at readers between the ages of 5-8 or so. The goal of this series is to introduce very young readers to the comic book format. You may have noticed some of their earlier titles in book stores already (Silly Lilly, Otto's Orange Day, Benny and Penny). They are very eye-catching, and can potentially serve as the Beginner Books for a new generation. So, if you're looking for a quality Christmas gift for a young reader, I think any of the books Toon has put out would be good. I was sent three of the books to review, including Jack and the Box, which Spiegelman wrote and illustrated.

Jack and the Box was just released in comic shops this week. It's a very simple and surreal story of a young boy/bunny and his inability to control a fairy creepy-looking clown that keeps popping out of a box. The story is reminiscent of The Cat in the Hat, with the clown causing all sorts of trouble and messes when the boy's parents aren't looking. The art is really animated and fun, but I can't stop thinking about how much that clown would have scared me as a kid. But everything scared me.

Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever by Dean Haspiel and Jay Lynch is a cute story about twins who are lucky enough to be given super powers. Their local super hero, the Mighty Mojo, decides to retire he gives his powers to the twins. The only catch: they have to share them. Mo gets elastic arms and Jo gets magnetic boots, meaning that they have to work together in order to equal the Mighty Mojo. Since these two fight about everything, it's a problem.

This is a fun book about cooperation and learning to love your sibling. Of the three books I was sent, it was the most like a traditional comic book, in terms of format, as well. I think this book would be a great way to get young readers started on super heroes at an early age.

Stinky by Eleanor Davis was my favourite of the three. The story is about a monster named Stinky who lives in a swamp on the outskirts of suburbia. He is afraid of humans, and is very agitated when a young boy builds a treehouse near his swamp. This book is really, really funny and has beautiful art. I was smiling the whole time I was reading it. It's also really adorable, especially as Stinky reluctantly befriends the boy, who is nothing but sweet and friendly to the monster.

Faith Erin Hicks on The War At Ellsmere

Today sees the release of Faith Erin Hicks' second book, The War At Ellsmere. I read an advance copy of the book and it is fantastic.

The story, like all good ones, is set in a boarding school. It focuses on Jun, a poor girl who is admitted to the posh school on a full scholarship due to her genius IQ. Jun immediately feels out-of-place, but is determined to not let it bother her. While there she manages to make one good friend, and one mortal enemy.

Where Zombies Calling, Hicks' debut, was a zany romp with zombies and social commentary on student loans, Ellsmere is a little darker and far more subdued. The ink-heavy art and the gothic setting give the story a very dreamy feel, which is enhanced by the magic realism Hicks' incorporates into the book to keep readers on their toes. The book also has lots of humour and witty dialogue. I am a huge fan of Hicks' facial expressions.

After the disappointing cancellation of the Minx line of books for teen girls, it's exciting to see SLG publishing such a excellent book for the same audience. In fact, this is one of the best books I've seen for teen girls in awhile, at least as good as Hope Larson's Chiggers, or Mike Carey's Re-Gifters. If all is right in the world, then this book should secure Hicks' spot among the top indie comic creators.

I did a Q&A with the Halifax-based, football-loving, ultra-talented and all around super nice Faith Erin Hicks. If you want to meet her (and you DO), then stop by Strange Adventures comic shop in Halifax this Saturday, Dec 6 from 6pm-8pm for her book launch. Last time she did one at the shop there was a line-up out the door!

Alright, here's the Q&A. I'm in purple, in case you can't follow.

Boarding schools are totally awesome places for stories to be set. What is it about them that makes them so awesome?

The greatest thing about setting a story in a boarding school is that there are no parents. The teachers are there and provide some kind of authority figure, but boarding school is a great way to set up a story where children are pretty much on their own, but not in a dangerous way. They're still properly fed and not harassed by terrifying island monsters like in Lord of the Flies. Plus I'm a bit of a sucker for rich, old, Victorian meets Fairytale architecture, which you just have to have in a boarding school story.

What was your school experience like growing up? Is there any of yourself in Jun?

I was homeschooled growing up (until high school), so that's probably why the idea of boarding school is so exotic to me: the idea of being in an environment that excludes parents and where you're surrounded by children your own age. I think I was more like Cassie than Jun when I was a kid. I was pretty shy and mousey, and very dreamy. I liked talking to trees and had this idea that everything magical I'd read in stories was the absolute truth. I never had cool come-backs to the mean kids like Jun has.

I did go to a hyper-competitive animation college, though, which is where the sabotage-heavy environment at Ellsmere comes from.

Something that I thought was really interesting about this book is that there are virtually no male characters at all. I don't really have a question here, but maybe you want to comment on that.

In a much earlier draft of the story, there was a male character, a standard tweeny love interest which I included because I really thought I couldn't do a story without a male character. I've always had male characters in my comics; I like writing them, and I felt like I would be excluding people if I wrote a story without a male character. However, as Ellsmere progressed, I realized that the male character I'd created didn't fit with the story at all, and for the sake of the story, I should just toss him and hope that my readers wouldn't have a huge problem with it.

There's another element there in that I wanted to do a story about two girls fighting, and have the fight not be over a boy. Those kind of stories always leave me cold, and I can't remember reading many where you have women doing battle with each other over things other than men. And I'm a little tired of that stereotype. I want something different! This probably sounds completely pretentious, but I wanted to do something almost ... I don't know, Shakespearean. I wanted to have this Good Verses Evil fight, the kind of battle you see in plays like MacBeth or movies like Star Wars, but have the battle be between two young girls. But, of course, still have that battle be appropriate for younger readers. No hands getting chopped off by lightsabers here, kids.

This is your second published graphic novel. Do you feel like a comic book star yet? Have you had some exciting fame moments?

Oh, lord no. I'm always terrified someone's going to leap out of a bush and yell that I'm a complete fake and can't draw worth beans, and take away all my comic projects. I'm completely blown away that I've found anyone willing to publish me, let alone done as well as I have. Honestly, working in comics, I feel more like a fan than a professional. I'm always so excited to meet people who do comics for a living, and so thrilled when they actually take the time to talk to me.

I'm trying to tone it down, really. It's not the most professional thing to start squealing and giggling every time you meet a fellow cartoonist. But comics are just so exciting!

Your art is beautiful and it reminds me a bit of Paul Pope or Ryan Kelly. Who are your favourite artists or influences?

Paul Pope is a huge influence. I love his work. It's completely unlike anything I've ever seen, and he seems able to take cliches and overcome them through sheer drawing power. He's incredible. Ryan Kelly I like as well, although I've only recently been picking up his work. My number one art god is Jeff Smith, although nobody's ever told me my art looks like his ... Jim Rugg and Ted Naifeh are also worthy of worship. I like any artist who inks like nobody's business. I love ink.

So what's next for you? Are you going to return to your webcomic, Ice? Or are you going to swim in your piles of book money?

Hah, yes, I go diving in my giant pile of comic book money every morning, just like Scrooge McDuck! I would very much like to finish Ice, as it's close to completion, but I'm currently neck deep in my next project, drawing a graphic novel for First Second Books. I'm going to try and work on Ice soon, though. I don't like that it's unfinished, and I think it's a good story. I'd like to see it through.

This Week's Haul: We hardly knew ye, Batman

Would you believe I am still sick? This is the worst cold ever.

BUT I am done my classes and I only have a few things to finish up before I am done school forever! I am going to celebrate by playing video games all day and partying all night.

Here are some comics I read this week.

Batman #681

The end of "Batman R.I.P." and what a long, crazy trip it's been. I've seen the "Batman BRB" jokes floating around that internet. That's pretty funny. Or, maybe, "Batman WTF?" I actually found this particular issue to be surprisingly fluid, for the most part. I don't think this storyline needed all the mass media attention it received. And it completely failed as a cross-over, as far as I'm concerned. Neither Detective, Nightwing nor Robin seemed to tie into Batman in any notable way.

I liked the Batman R.I.P. storyline, though. I don't know if I understood it, but I liked it. I just think people who don't regularly read comics who are picking up this issue because it made the news are going to be very dissapointed and confused.

Captain America #44

Do you know why Bucky is awesome? Because he is two super heroes! When he's got a job to do that's too dirty for Captain America, he switch to Winter Soldier. This issue shows that off nicely.

Daredevil #113

I am loving this Lady Bullseye storyline. I'm glad that we finally get some Matt Murdock reaction to the revelation that Elektra is a Skrull. And I am glad that we get some characters like Danny Rand and Master Ito kicking around for levity. Plus Dakota is still awesome. And not dead yet...will she shake the "sleeping with Matt Murdock" curse? I hope so.

Superman #682

I think this was James Robinson's best issue of Superman so far. The voices seemed a lot better, whereas before it just sounded like a bunch of James Robinsons conversing with each other. I always like Renato Guedes art, too, especially when he's drawing Supergirl.

Wonder Woman #26

I'm really glad that DC not only has the perfect person writing Wonder Woman (Gail Simone), but they also have the perfect person drawing this title (Aaron Lopresti). This issue launches a new storyline that looks like it's going to be fantastic.

This Week's Haul: So very sick

Welcome to Living Between Wednesdays...where we like our coffee black and our comic reviews late. I have been awful sick lately, but fortunately there were a lot of good comics to read. I have been very slowly writing these mini-reviews over the past few days, taking frequent nap breaks.

Super Friends #9
J.Bone not only did the cover for this issue, he did the interiors! Yay! It's Superman's birthday and everything is adorable, from Lex Luthor being cranky about not being invited to the party, to Batman explaining pinatas to the readers.

Amazing Spider-Man #578
Mark Waid teams up with Marcos Martin to bring us one of the most delightful comics I have ever read. This was seriously great stuff, the latest in a long series of great Spider-Man comics.

Terra #2
If you like hot naked ladies, then you will probably enjoy this. And even if you are more into well-written, nicely-drawn ladies, like I am, then you will also enjoy this.

Uncanny X-Men #504
And speaking of hot ladies, Terry and Rachel Dodson provide the art for this month's issue of Uncanny, and that made me very happy. Especially since this issue gives us a tour of Cyclops' horny psychosis, which is full of beautiful women made even more beautiful by Team Dodson's art. I'm glad I am reading X-Men comics again. It makes me feel like I'm 15.

Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #2
I just wanted to remind everyone that this series is great and the art is beautiful. Look at that cover! She's tying her hair up! Just like girls do when they are exercising!

Supergirl #35
I am loving this New Krypton cross-over story so far. Not only because there are so many talented people working on it, but because it is non-stop and has been coming out on time. Every week we get a new piece of the story via Superman, Action Comics, Supergirl, or a number of fantastic one-shot specials. It's fluid, it's interesting, and it's fun. And Sterling Gates is doing a great job writing Supergirl.

The Age of the Sentry #3
I can't even tell you how much I am loving this series. And a good thing is made even better this month because there is a very long back-up story drawn by Colleen Coover! And it features Milly the Model! Seriously, Jeff Parker. You are killing me.

Ghost Rider #29
My love of Jason Aaron's run on Ghost Rider runs deep. This issue gave us what he has been building to since he started: a big ol' battle between Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch! Sweet Ghost Rider on Ghost Rider action!

Ambush Bug #4
It's a good time to be an Ambush Bug fan. Not only has this series been a lot of fun (and badly needed because there is so much DC craziness to make fun of right now), but it looks like we're finally going to get the long-rumoured Showcase Presents Ambush Bug collection in February! Yay!

Super-Human Detritus of the Twentieth Century: Review of the Super-Companions, By Johnathan

From Adventure Comics No. 371 comes the most tangential Legion story ever! Well, maybe. It definitely shouldn't be billed as a Tale of the Legion of Super-Heroes, that's for sure. Maybe a Tale Where the Legion Shows Up for a Couple of Panels and Also Gets Mentioned Two or Three Times.

Enough picking of nits: time for the Super-Companions!

Yay, Super-Companions! So happy, so poorly-dressed. I was originally going to do up a separate review of each member of the group, but it was too hard to extract them from the story in order to do so. So what we're going to do here is sketch out the plot of "When Superboy Walked Out on the Legion", pausing frequently to cast a critical eye over those most super of companions, the Super-Companions.

So: our story opens in Smallville, as Clark (Superboy) Kent engages in his customary Bird Wakefulness Check (every day at 11:45, between the Manatee Continence Scan and the Deep Elephant Sniff. Superboy is nothing if not thorough). I must say, those sleeping students are fantastic. That one guy by the chalk board, for example, fell asleep so hard that he didn't have time to fall over. I just hope that if I'm ever caught up in a mysterious wave of sleepiness I have the presence of mind to at least slump forward, or even go jelly-legged and hit the deck. If this classroom represents the general state of things in Smallville then there are going to be a lot of very stiff necks once this episode is over. Gonna be a cranky, cranky tiny town.

OTHAR

Othar isn't really a Super-Companion, but I'm including him in the review process because he's in that splash page up there. Othar is really hard to categorize, on a couple of levels. I can't decide if he's a Benevolent Highly-Evolved Being who just happens to threaten broad swathes of a planet's population with eternal sleep in the event that he doesn't get his way or a Diabolical Alien Mastermind who doesn't have any real villainous followthrough. Either way, the guy is pretty inept.

Possibly my favourite thing about Othar is how over the top he is. All stops were pulled out on this guy to make him the very picture of impressive alienhood. Look how tall he is! check out the cape, the collar, the bulging cranium! Dig that crazy monocle, man! The Spock-esque ear/eyebrow combo is just icing on this particular cake.

Also, Othar seems to be in charge of this guy, who is among the better nameless underlings ever. About the only thing that Othar was missing was some sort of impressive facial hair, and his little buddy was all over that action, upper lip-first. Also, he seems to be filled with unearned bravado - if Superboy were to take one menacing step in his direction then I bet that he'd run and hide behind Othar.

I have no idea why the Thrannans seem to have two distinct head sizes. It's not that some of them have bigger brains, I can tell you that. The big-headed one seem to be in charge, but if they're the ones who thought up this super-hero-importation plan then perhaps it's time to give the small-heads a turn. More superheroes mean more trouble, guys.

And there you have it, folks: the only appearance of the Legion in this Tale of the Legion of Super-Heroes, outside of the cover. Not particularly worthy of note, though I do like "space-happy". I like to think that maybe it's the Thirtieth Century equivalent of "road rage", and that at some point between now and then people suffered from "undersea pneumatic people transporter giddiness".

Othar and his guys head for the horribly yellow Planet Cruxl, there to kidnap:

LIQUIDMAN

Liquidman is an interesting cat. There's no denying that he undergoes quite a dramatic transformation thanks to that purplish potion, and if I read his hair colour right then he's a respected elder super-hero on Cruxl... but there's no question that as far as superpowers go the anthropomorphic puddle isn't going to hold much of a candle to, say, the super-speedster. Unless of course it becomes vital to the fate of the universe that a small napkin become damp as quickly as possible.

More evidence: if you have to change back to your secret identity to deal with aliens then perhaps you should be reconsidering your career path. What was the plan once you found those crooks anyway, Liquidman? Were you going to run off and tell on them? Wait until they went to bed and then subdue them from within their lungs?

And how the hell does a puddle take a potion anyway?

Planet Cruxl is in the running for DC planet with the best buildings - check out that crazy curvy brown apartment building in the last couple of panels. Who wouldn't enjoy living in a place like that?

So: the Thrannans have kidnapped Superboy, the strongest, fastest, most invulnerable hero in creation, and Liquidman, who can become a puddle. Who's next, eh? Will there be some sort of balance of power on this team or will we be seeing a guy who can shrink his head to the size of a doorknob?

STORMBOY

Oh, wow! It is someone with an in-betweeny power level! And a really bad costume! Really, really bad, in fact.

Note that while kidnapping Liquidman and Superboy will likely just lead to a few more jewel thieves and monsters roaming their respective countrysides, stealing Stormboy is actually going to cause droughts and famines and the like, unless Stormboy is some sort of unnecessary roaming nuisance. Othar does not like to share his metahumans, plainly.

I wonder: do Stormboy's storms keep on going until he shuts them off? He's clearly not concentrating on the one in the above panel but it's still going like gangbusters. I like to imagine that he left the planet without turning it off and that all of the sleeping people had a big surprise waiting for them when they woke up.

Wait, how does making it rain on a city help to fix a drought?

TREE-MAN

Tree-Man, as you might have guessed from his one-panel kidnapping scene, isn't given quite as much character development as Liquidman or Stormboy. Still, he's pretty great and comes from a planet of people who wear neither shirts nor shoes (and consequently have no restaurants). Plus, he's got an interesting twist on the stretchy-style superhero going on - when's the last time that you saw Ralph Dibney grow a couple of arms out of his chest?

TELEPATHY MAN

Telepathy Man is a really terrible name. Also, his forehead looks like a bosom.

Like Stormboy, Telepathy Man seems to be less of a super-hero than a public service. He builds with his brain while wearing a poorly-tailored outfit. While useful, I don't know if it warrants the "hero" portion of the name. Super-service-provider, perhaps, or super-alternative-to-going-to-the-hardware-store.

SHADOWMAN

Poor Shadowman gets perhaps the least impressive first appearance in this story. Othar tells us about his powers and there are no criminals or weather conditions for him to defeat or even adoring citizens to tell us how great he is... heck, I don't even think that they bothered to turn on the sleep ray in order to capture him. Othar probably just sent his mustachioed comrade out to give the universal signal to get one's ass on in the spaceship (thumb over the shoulder, impatient glare) and Shadowman marched glumly inside.

Arrival on Thrann! Seems to me that this would be a great time for Superboy and Co. to wreck all of the sleep rays and space ships and then go home, right? because they're all there under duress, and therefore not obligated to honour any agreements that they might have made, right? Evidently not.

Let's read about everyone's weaknesses! The weird-looking pictures are vestiges of the post I did not write but since I spent so many seconds slaving over a hot Polygonal Lasso to make them I thought I should use them.

Superboy is safe on Thrann because there is no kryptonite there, says Othar, and then lays out why everyone else is safe:

Man. Stormboy is weak against the visible light spectrum. Not only that but he creates the thing that he is weak against the majority of the times that he uses his powers. It's like the if Martian Manhunter burst into flame every time he turned invisible.

Eh. Fire isn't a very good weakness, especially against a guy made out of water. Because fire is everyone's weakness. Not having a weakness to fire is, in fact, a really good power. In any case, it looks like Othar interpreted that picture wrong. I'm not seeing "This fire is weakening me!" but rather "Oh no! My lab assistant threw his cigarette in the trash can again!".

No rainbows? No fireplaces? Thrann is the least romantic planet ever, it's official.

Tree-disease isn't a bad weakness for a tree-guy.

That's all I got.

Again, not a bad weakness. The best part of this panel, though, is the beret-clad bad guys. It's like Shadowman's world is bereft of funding for the arts, so troupes of avant garde artists loot the countryside to finance their massive absinthe and burnt umber habits. Also, that long radium-wrangling pole shows some amazing foresight and patience.


Stormboy is spared! This is the worst possible weakness that a superhero could have!

"I will defeat you, Evil Boy, with my mind! Just as soon as you stop being evil! Until then I shall retire to my secret lair next to the prison, where I will try for the third week in a row to make a signal booster for my wi fi!"

And, uh, Othar? Technically, kidnapping six super-heroes just for the hell of it counts as an evil act. Not Darkseid evil, but still.

So Othar manages to convince the Super-Companions not to steal a spaceship and run for it and instead has them compete to see who will be the leader of their merry band of abductees. Let's watch:

I'm most impressed by Tree-Man's extendible pants. Pretty pedestrian feats, guy. Let's see what the others are up to:

Man, I know that this stuff is very impressive on one level but I just can't care that much about prospecting and power-generation. No wonder Superboy won by building an iron castle and putting it in a low orbit.

Liquidman, by the way, didn't do anything to make the lives of his kidnappers better. Where's your Stockholm syndrome-fueled loyalty, pal?

In any case, the rest of the story was all about how the Super-Companions were ostensibly very content on Thrann but really very homesick and kind of painted them as being basically identical to one another. For example:

He had to protect his secret identity in case a disgruntled unseasonal dry spell came after his loved ones.

"It was funny how they never really used it, those law officers..."

The remainder of the issue is concerned with the Super-Companions staging a big fight in order to convince the Thrannans that they were more trouble than they were worth. Superboy wears that crown the whole time.

Everyone has a big laugh and goes home, the end. On to the ratings!

Othar - a Class A tool. Only gets points for having that little sidekick guy. NOT APPROVED.

Liquidman - I like his hair but deride his power. Still, his refusal to do tricks for the Thrannans makes him JOHN APPROVED.

Stormboy - The worst dresser of them all. Not a bad power but should be hiring himself out rather than freelancing for free. Lack of common sense equals NOT APPROVED

Tree-man - He's definitely my favourite. Purple pants are always a good thing, and erupting extra limbs from your chest to foil crooks is even better. JOHN APPROVED

Telepathy Man - Not a good super-hero. Not a good dresser. NOT APPROVED

Shadowman - Didn't do much to impress me but the really important thing for me is the quality of his enemies and they are top notch impressionist painters and the like, so JOHN APPROVED

Good night!